Event After the U.S. Open Brings a Bit of Relief

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Bubba Watson held a two-shot lead at 10 under par after two rounds of the Travelers Championship in Cromwell, Conn.CreditCreditJared Wickerham/Getty Images

By Pat Pickens

June 22, 2013

CROMWELL, Conn. — Few would disagree that the star of the 2013 United States Open was Merion Golf Club. Merion, a 101-year-old course outside Philadelphia, disproved claims that it was not long enough or fierce enough to challenge today’s professionals.

“I think it was a brave move for the U.S.G.A. to go to Merion,” Justin Rose, who won there, said last week. “It might be a learning lesson for golf course design in the future. It doesn’t need to be so long to make it such a challenge. I thought it was fascinating to see how the course held up.”

But on the PGA Tour, Merion is now a faint memory. While dozens of players annually take off the week after the Open, including some of the tour’s most recognizable names, the rest are at this weekend’s Travelers Championship.

Although the T.P.C. River Highlands course will seldom be confused for an Open course — the cut line through 36 holes was at par — Rose said it could still test players.

“Its challenges are, can you go low when you need to?” he said. “You’ve got to put four good rounds of golf together here.”

Rose, playing River Highlands for the eighth time in his 15-year career and the first time since 2010, said he decided to return to Connecticut after his Open victory because of fond memories.

“I think the tournament’s treated me well,” he said.

Although thunderstorms are common at this tournament, recent dry weather and warm temperatures have left River Highlands in ideal shape.

“The greens are very good,” Rose said.

Bubba Watson, the 2012 Masters champion, said he appreciated the differences between the Open and the Travelers.

“There are generous fairways, and it is playable from the rough, unlike last week,” said Watson, who is tied with Graham DeLaet and Charley Hoffman for the third-round lead at 10 under par. “The rough doesn’t scare anybody.”

Still, Rose, who is three shots back, warned that if players were too confident, they would pay.

“This course is tricky enough where, if you get too aggressive or too greedy out there, you can get into trouble,” he said.

The tournament director Nathan Grube said he was determined to have his awkwardly timed event succeed without easy drawing cards like Tiger Woods or Phil Mickelson. Woods has never played the event in 16 years on the PGA Tour, and Mickelson has not played at River Highlands since Travelers became the title sponsor in 2007.

“The date makes sense for us,” Grube said. “It’s before people go on vacation. I love it where we are with N.C.A.A.’s and some of those young kids are looking to turn pro. If you told me that we could switch dates and have Tiger or Phil, I don’t know that I’d do it.”

The tournament, formerly known as the Insurance City Open, the Greater Hartford Open and the Buick Championship, had struggled with sponsorship and finding a home on the tour calendar. When Travelers became the title sponsor, the event became a fixture the week after the Open.

“Having an identity is something important,” Grube said. “The week after the Open is our week.”

But that timing has forced Grube to be creative in his recruiting. He annually seeks out younger players and has become widely known for his use of sponsors’ exemptions. The Travelers used one on Webb Simpson in 2008, and he has returned every year, including last year after winning the Open.

“When guys are young, it’s the only time they’re asking the tournaments for anything,” Grube said. “It’s our one chance to build a relationship that they remember.”

Grube’s method also places strong emphasis on the players and their support groups.

“We really built relationships with these guys, and we like to show them that we care,” Grube said. “We care about their caddies; we care about their wives and girlfriends.”

While Grube does the recruiting, J. J. Henry, a native of Fairfield, Conn., gladly advocates for the event. Henry, a 15-year pro who won the tournament when it was the Buick Championship in 2006, is a fixture at the lone PGA event in his home state.

“This tournament means so much,” Henry said. “I played here as an amateur in ’98, and obviously to win here in 2006, it brings back a lot of neat memories.”

A version of this article appears in print on , on Page SP11 of the New York edition with the headline: Event After U.S. Open Brings a Bit of Relief and Caring. Order Reprints | Today’s Paper | Subscribe